Glaxo, the Supplement Maker

GlaxoSmithKline announced late yesterday afternoon that it will acquire Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, the Massachusetts start-up company developing an analog of resveratrol, the chemical in red wine thought to promote longevity by postponing degenerative diseases. To prove this to the Food and Drug Administration's satisfaction, clinical trials involving thousands of people, perhaps even tens of thousands of people, stretching over many years, will have to take place.

Of course, the FDA could abandon its traditional standard and allow Glaxo to market a resveratrol analog as a pricey prescription drug based on lesser studies, which would make it the equivalent of dietary supplement. Since supplements do not have to meet the FDA's scientific standards of efficacy, there are already numerous resveratrol pills on the market. Check out this comment on the Wall Street Journal's Health blog:

According to Wikipedia, Consumer Lab, an independent dietary supplement and over the counter products evaluation organization, published a report on 13 November 2007 on the popular resveratrol supplements. The organization reported that there exists a wide range in quality, dose, and price among the 13 resveratrol products evaluated. The actual amount of resveratrol contained in the different brands range from 2.2mg for Revatrol, which claimed to have 400mg of “Red Wine Grape Complex”, to 500mg for Biotivia.com Transmax, which is consistent with the amount claimed on the product’s label. Prices per 100mg of resveratrol ranged from less than $.30 for products made by Biotivia.com, jarrow, and country life, to a high of $45.27 for the Revatrol brand. None of the products tested were found to have significant levels of heavy metals or other contaminants.

So why would anyone buy this drug? The Glaxo "drug" will be chemically manipulated to be much more potent and more easily absorbed than the natural substance. Is that worth $100 or more a month, the typical price of prescription drugs?

Drug companies are already well down the road to selling drugs that influence biomarkers of disease. LDL cholesterol isn't a disease, but lowering its high concentration in people already at risk of coronary artery disease lowers the incidence of heart attacks and strokes in that population. High blood pressure isn't a disease, but numerous studies have shown that reducing blood pressure correlates with fewer heart attacks and strokes.

Now they're moving into substances that, in their natural form, are good for you. Frankly, I'd rather have a daily glass of red wine. And for $100 a month, I can probably afford better wine than I'm drinking now.